


Walk Through the Fire

by LeafontheWinf2



Category: Avatar (TV), Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: AU, Alliances, Character Death, Culture, Culture Shock, Death, F/F, F/M, Holocaust, M/M, Massive AU, Movies Used, New Beginnings, Original Character Death(s), Political Asylum, Politics, Radio, Refugees, Returning Home, Reunions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-06
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-02-28 08:38:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2725871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeafontheWinf2/pseuds/LeafontheWinf2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bolin's return to Republic City was supposed to be a happy affair. Instead Bolin finds himself struggling to live in the present as the weight of his past memories press down on him. Now as he works to help the refugees find their footing as they readjust to normal life, Bolin also has to learn to cope with him memories from the camps. Pulled into a world of politics Bolin and the other refugees will need to adapt quickly to survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Going Through the Motions

**Author's Note:**

> This is not going to be a happy story. Just a head's up. This is looking at two events happening. The first is the various prisoners trapped in Kuvira's camps. The second is their adjustment to life after their time in the camps. 
> 
> I decided to write this as a sort of venting/therapy thing. I'm writing my thesis on Mengele's experiments and just needed somewhere to dump my ridiculous amount of feelings. So I hope you find it interesting. 
> 
> Also, every time you see a ~*~, it shows a different time.

Pushing through the crowds of people Asami and Korra slowly fought their way to the front of the crowd around the harbor. A whole mix of people were gathered there, benders and non-benders standing together with nervous expressions whispering under their breath. A message had been sent out to Republic City a little over a week ago from the military about an incoming ship. It was filled with people headed towards Republic City from the Earth Empire no doubt looking for a new start.

The message had been printed in the newspaper, taking up the entire paper itself. The entire thing had been a list of names of people coming into the city. The girls could still remember the moment their world had shifted because of that paper. The entire group had been at Air Temple Island, yes even Wu, where Bumi had been skimming the paper. It had been his yell that got everyone’s attention.

“Whoa! Did not see that coming!” Bumi tossed the paper onto the table pointing at one of the names, “Tenzin, check that I’m reading that right.”

Tenzin had complied, mostly because everyone had been watching, before a surprised look had crossed his face. Pulling away from the paper, the airbender had turned to Mako. “Mako, why is your brother listed with the incoming refugees?”

Mako hadn’t had an answer. No one did. It was strange, Bolin had just disappeared after the siege of Zaufu. And now here was his name in the paper. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to him in that time. 

Originally Mako had planned to confront his brother at the docks but something had come up in regards to Wu keeping him from going. He’d asked the girls to go in his stead and then bring Bolin back to the Island. 

“I wonder what he’s been doing this year,” Asami runed to Korra and excited grin on her face, “I wasn’t able to see him last time he stopped by the city!”

Korra didn’t look half as excited. “I just want to know what he was doing with Kuvira all this time.”

“I doubt if he’s coming back with refugees he’s still working with Kuvira…”

Before Korra could say anything back the loud sound of the ships doors opening passed over the port. The entire crowd fell silent, watching the doorway with wide eyes as the first refugees began to exit the boat. Neither girl could really see any details from this far away but they all looked surprised as they stared out over the crowd, their mouths hanging open in shock. It was like a spell had been cast over the entire port that kept them frozen in that period of time. 

One of the soldiers stepped forward, a bright spark of red against the sea of greens and browns before announcing the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, please be patient. We’ll be calling out your family member’s name so you can come collect them as quickly as possible. If you don’t hear your loved ones name, please wait behind and we’ll see what the problem is. Now let’s get these people home!”

Asami couldn’t help but smile as the first name was called. A young woman went running into her father’s arm, both openly sobbing in delight before heading home. This continued for quite a while, more and more people reunited with loved ones. But still the people kept flowing from the military ship. And the longer they waited the more nervous the people were becoming that their loved ones wouldn’t be called.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to pick up Bolin soon,” Korra managed to sound hopeful, bumping her shoulder against Asami’s.

Asami mustered a weak smile back, “I know. It’s just...I worry about him. What if something bad happened and he got hurt?”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Korra didn’t care how stubborn she sounded, she just knew Bolin had to be fine. Because she wasn’t sure what she would do if he wasn’t. But even her faith began to wane when they crowd of people was gone except for a few nervous people. “Come on, let’s go see what’s keeping him.”

They approached the nearest soldier, a cheerful looking waterbender who sent them a sympathetic smile. “Didn’t call your family huh?” she said gently, “Well, I’m sure it’s just a simple mix up. A couple of the refugees got really bad seasickness and are resting.”

Asami let out a sigh of relief, “Thank the spirits, that must be where he is.”

Korra beamed at that news. An almost evil smile was present on her face, “Oh, I’m going to have fun with that. Just wait till I tell Mako Bolin was delayed due to seasickness!”

“Bolin?” the soldier’s sympathetic smile turned into a broad grin at his name, “You should have told me you were looking for Bolin! He’s in a meeting with the General right now. Actually, they could probably use the Avatar’s input also. I’ll take you to them now!”

“Just what did Bolin get himself involved with?” Korra whispered as they hurried after the soldier into the ship. Asami just shrugged in response before hurrying deeper into the ship. A couple more turns and they were deep below deck. The soldier led them to a large metal door which she pulled open and stuck her head in. A quick conversation followed before she pulled back to face the girls. “The General said you could head on in. They’re pretty much done.”

With that Korra and Asami slipped into the room and were met with a strange sight. A group of people were gathered around the main table in the room all of them looked stressed and tired. General Iroh stood at the front of the room with another soldier by his side. They both had a stack of papers in front of them and looked exhausted.

The civilians in the room actually looked even worse in part because of their matching tattered grey outfits. They were all thin with dark circles under their eyes as they studied the soldiers with weary eyes. Closest to the door were two firebenders, a male and female with hard eyes. The male was holding the hand of a waterbender who had a death grip on him, her knuckles white. A pair of male non-benders were in the back staring at the table with dull haunted eyes while a massive earthbender was glaring at Iroh.. 

Asami’s eyes were drawn to a waterbender that sat across the room from her. No doubt she had once been quite beautiful, but now her face was badly scarred. Not to mention her left arm was completely gone from the soldier down. And next to her sat Bolin.

He looked horrible. Asami wanted to run over and fuss over him then and there. Dark circles were clear against his pale face, his black hair was cropped short just like all of the other civilians. Asami could see blood stained bandages wrapped around his knuckles but that wasn’t the most horrific part. No, what struck Asami was the thick bandages wrapped around Bolin’s left eye. He looked honestly surprised to see them there, a shocked expression clear on his face even as the armless waterbender turned worried eyes to him. 

General Iroh paused when he noticed them standing there, a strange look crossing his face before he returned his attention to the group gathered before him. “I think we can stop here for today,” Iroh told them gently gaining several relieved expressions from the civilians, “It seems like some families are looking for you.”

The waterbender missing an arm looked troubled, “And if there’s no one here for us? What then?”

“We’ve reserved rooms for those who have no where to go at a hotel free of charge,” the other soldier assured her, “So you don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll meet here again in two days time to give you all a chance to rest. Spirits know you haven’t had any of that in far too long.” 

And then the people are all standing and shuffling from the room, blocking Bolin from view. It isn’t until the majority of them leave that Asami can see Bolin standing there speaking softly to Iroh about something before pulling away and limping over to join them. 

Asami can’t help herself anymore. The moment Bolin sends her a tired smile she lunges forward pulling him into a desperate hug. “I missed you Bo,” she whispered feeling Bolin pull her closer his whole body shaking.

A broke laugh left him. “You have no idea how much I missed you.” Pulling back Bolin managed to muster a weak smile for the girls.

Korra tugged Bolin in for a quick hug her self before wrapping a friendly arm around his too thin shoulders. “I hope you’re hungry cause Pema made all of your favorites,” Korra said tugging Bolin towards the door, “We can’t wait to hear what you’ve been up to!”

Bolin offered her a weak smile at that something that raised alarms in Asami’s eyes. Bolin was trying to hide something big from them. He’d never done that before. 

“Bolin!” The earthbender paused, turning back to meet Iroh’s gaze. The General approached, arms behind his back as he stood before them. “I’ll start looking into the matter you mentioned. I should have an answer for you tomorrow at the latest.”

The relief on Bolin’s face was obvious as he sagged in Korra’s arms. “Thank you,” he breathed out, “Should I swing by the ship sometime…”

“I’ll stop by Airbender Island,” Iroh promised, “It is the least I can do.” And with that he stepped past them and disappeared into the depths of the ship. 

Korra just stared after him, “What was that about?”

“Nothing really. He’s just checking where one of my friends ended up,” Bolin turned back to them with a smile, “Now what’s this you said about food? Cause it feels like I haven’t eaten in forever.” 

~*~

“The rains coming in,” Baraz stated flatly seated on the broken porch of the barracks. No one really responded to the comment, they were all too exhausted to do much. Bolin himself just lay there out in the open not caring how the mud was seeping into his shoes and socks. It was just one more minor thing to deal with added to all the other problems they’d been facing. Not to mention he’d fallen ill a month ago and still hadn’t gotten better.

They were all tired and hungry. The Empire soldiers didn’t feed them often, and when they did the food wasn’t even that good. Bolin had already fallen back into old habits from the streets to make it through the day. Under his bunk was a hollowed out section of earth where Bolin stored his half of his food. He’d taught the others this trick and they all followed it but it didn’t make the days any easier. 

A low noise caught Bolin’s attention. He raised his head watching the Empire soldiers pushing a new group of people into the camp. They looked terrified, everyone did when they entered this camp. They stumbled along the fenced off corridor looking into the hollow eyes of the other prisoners for help.

“Looks like a new shipment from the west,” Hiroshi, a giant of an earthbender, rumbled watching them with exhausted eyes, “Makes you wonder how long they’re going to last.”

Bolin’s eyes fell on a straggler in the group. It was a child, a small looking boy of Fire Nation descent and he looked as if he would fall over at any minute. Bolin was on his feet before he knew what had happened. 

“Bolin, don’t,” Baraz hissed reaching out to grab the earthbender. But Bolin wasn’t listening. He started walking towards the fence his eyes locked on the child. 

Sure enough, the child stumbled and fell to the ground. The soldier raised his metal whip and suddenly it wasn’t some strange boy Bolin saw. It was another Fire Nation child with a red scarf wrapped around his neck, glaring up in defiance as he tried to be strong for his little brother. A snarl left the earthbender as he rushed the fence. 

“Bolin! Don’t do it!” Everyone was on their feet screaming at him. The other prisoners in his barrack were running towards him, no doubt hoping to stop him. Even across the camp on the women’s side, the girls were pressed against the fence screaming for him to stop. 

He didn't even think, everything was just too much. All the pain, all the suffering, all the humiliation he had faced during his time in the camp came out in the moment. Bolin screamed sending a blast of lava towards the Empire soldier forcing the man to back off of the child. His scream was filled with all the hate, fear, and desperation that had been growing in his during his time in the camp. 

Bolin didn’t expect to succeed for long, just enough to give that kid enough time to get up and run. And sure enough, even though that one guard was forced to run by the lava five more were already taking his place. But instead of beating that kid anymore, they turned their attentions towards Bolin. 

Never before had pain felt so damned good! They were afraid of him, afraid of what he could do to them if he got angry enough. Bolin had never been a violent person but right then under the heel of the these men he wanted them all to suffer. Just like the terrified prisoners standing around had suffered from the cold, from hunger, from the ever constant fear of the guards. For the first time since he’d been forced into the camp, Bolin felt free. 

Even as he lay there half unconscious from the beatings, his whole body radiating pain, Bolin couldn’t help but smile. Because distantly he could hear the other prisoners all screaming at the guards getting progressively angrier as they grabbed Bolin and began to drag him from the yard. 

Worn dirty faces were pressed against the fence, hatred filling their eyes as they screamed at the guards. One of them stood out in Bolin’s hazy gaze. With blackness creeping into his vision she almost looked like Asami as the fence under her hands turned red hot as she screamed at the guards. “What kind of monsters are you!” the girl raged her voice booming over the other prisoners, “He was just saving a little boy! He didn’t do anything wrong! You guards are the ones who are wrong, the ones who are monsters!” 

The last thing Bolin saw as he was pulled away was a guard hitting the girl who looked like Asami to shut her up...

~*~

Air Temple Island looked the same as always. Resting against the railing of the ferry Bolin watched the island as it got larger. He wasn't sure what to do really. Sure, he'd once dreamed of returning here, of curling up in bed and never leaving but now that he was back...Bolin had no idea what to do with himself. 

He startled as a warm arm wrapped around his shoulders, turning to come face to face with Asami. Bolin had to struggle to keep from crying, she was still so beautiful. Just as beautiful as the other girls he'd met in the camp who would never come home...

"Hey," Asami said gently, shaking Bolin slightly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Bolin turned away from her studying the water again, "Nothing is wrong."

"You sure? Cause you don't typically look so sad," Asami sounded worried as she tugged him close. 

How could he tell her that every time he shut his eyes he heard the screams? That he felt the cold and the hunger again? 

"It's nothing," Bolin muttered softly, "It just reminds me of the last time I was traveling."

And it really did. Bolin had been made a mistake, a serious mistake that had cost him. He'd talked to the wrong people, got pulled into the wrong situation. Next thing he'd known, he was on a train that took his straight into hell without a second thought. 

"How were your travels?" Korra asked coming up on his other side. "Did you go anywhere interesting?"

"I went north for a long time," Bolin admitted. His bandaged eye was beginning to itch and he just wanted to scratch it, "It was cold up there, had to be careful not to freeze. Learned how to sandbend for a couple of weeks, met a couple of good people." 

"You can sandbend?" Korra looked delighted by the information, "Can you show me?" 

Bolin knew his smile looked strained now. "I might. For now I just want to rest." And maybe, if he was very lucky he'd be able to sleep.


	2. Rage Rage Against the Dying of the Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for the story to work, I had to change how Bolin came to be in the camps. Basically, he never was in Zaofu. Kuvira sent him to Ba Sing Se before the seige so he didn't speak to anyone.
> 
> This was also heavily inspired by my time in Rosario, Argentina. I went to school next to the Museum for the Disappeared, and on the other corner was the building where they used to torture people. It left a mark on me.

He'd been pulled out of Republic City when the riots had started in Ba Sing Se. Kuvira had decided that Bolin would be the best person to calm them down for some reason. Appear as my representative to the people, she'd said, remind them of our cause.

But Bolin couldn't, not after the whole crushing people who opposed us thing. Kuvira was hiding something from him, something big. And Bolin was determined to get to the bottom of it which was why he'd agreed to go to Ba Sing Se. 

Stepping off the train in the lower quarters of the city, Bolin pulled his bag up onto his shoulder, he'd ditched the uniform the moment he stepped into the city for his old clothing. So now he didn't stand out as he walked down the road surrounded by the other citizens who were going about their day. 

It was nice to disappear into the flow of people. Bolin he actually forgotten how great it was to just disappear, he couldn't help but smile. No one looked at him with expectations, no one wanted to know about the Avatar or ask after his brother. He was just Bolin another face among the many.

It was probably because he was on his own that he stumbled across it. 

The remains of the walls of Ba Sing Se still rose above the city. Bolin hadn't originally paid any attention to them bit as he passed by the closest one he froze unable to tear his eyes away. Plastered across the wall was hundreds of faces staring down at the people walking below. None of the people met the eyes of the pictures but Bolin couldn't look away. His eyes were drawn to one picture of a little girl in particular.

"Excuse me," Bolin reached out catching a man's jacket and pulling him to a stop, "Can you tell what these pictures are?" 

"You must be new here," the man said offering Bolin a sympathetic smile. "Those are the Disappeared."

"The who?"

"The Disappeared. People all over the city have been going missing, no one knows where they've went. Families leave pictures on the wall in the hopes someone will recognize their family members and bring them home." 

"Do they know who's behind it?" Bolin already had a sinking feeling he knew but he had to hear someone else say it. 

And sure enough, there it was. "We all know the Earth Empire's behind it. Look, just keep your head down. If you ask the wrong questions you're face will end up on that wall." 

With that the man flowed back into the crowds leaving Bolin alone on the street. The young lavabender continued down the street eyes trained on the dirty road. So he was right, there was something wrong in the Earth Empire. How could Kuvira be making these people disappear? What had they done to deserve this?

That was a child's picture. A child was missing for some reason and no one could find them. What possible justification could there be for that? 

Unaware of where he was headed as he moved, Bolin soon found himself in the richer part of town. The people here looked just as scared as the people on the poorer rings. No one would look up, they were all hurrying about their business. 

All of them but one. 

An older woman was standing in the middle of the street, a stack of pictures clasped in her hands. She was obviously very well off by her elaborate dress, she stood out here. Bolin had to wonder what a wealthy woman would be doing here. 

He moved out of the street to watch. She was passing out the papers asking people questions as they moved past her. Bolin stood there for ten minutes, and she continued passing out the papers that entire time never losing hope as she continued her work. 

Gathering his courage Bolin slowly approached the woman. He had to know what she was passing out. The woman's teary green eyes met Bolin's even as a watery smile managed to cross her face. Her hand was shaking as she held out a picture of a smiling young woman towards him. Bolin reached out and took it gently.

"Please, I'm trying to find my daughter," the woman said softly exhaustion clear in her voice, "She disappeared a month ago, I haven't been able to find her. Please, if you've seen her anywhere..."

"I'm so sorry, I haven't." The woman deflated but Bolin knew she wouldn't stop in her search. She obviously loved her daughter too much to stop looking. Bolin remembered the fear of not knowing where a loved one was. There had been days when Mako had just seemed to disappear and Bolin had been out of his mind with worry. He would never wish that on anyone. 

Bolin reached out, taking her hands in his. He offered the woman a small smile, "But don't worry. I'm going to do everything in my power to find your daughter." The woman let out a sob of pure relief crumpling into Bolin's arms. "It can't be safe for you in the Ba Sing Se doing this. Please, I have a brother in Republic City whose a police officer. I'll send him the information when I find her and he'll get it to you there." 

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" The woman gasped out pulling back and offering Bolin a delighted smile tears streaming down her face, "I'll head to Republic City tonight! I can't believe...I can't thank you enough." 

Bolin watched her rush back into the crowd as a dark feeling began to well up inside of him. He wanted to find someone and force her to tell him where this girl was. He wanted to reunite this family that he had played a part in pulling apart. Bolin started storming towards the government building the only place he knew he would get answers. 

He threw open the door to the building pushing his way past the guards, not listening as they tried to stop him. All of his attention was focused on the commanding officer seated smugly behind his desk. Bolin's eyes narrowed as he stormed up to the desk, slamming the picture of the girl on the desk. The soldier looked unimpressed as he leaned back in his chair and studied Bolin.

"Corporal Bolin," the soldier drawled out, "The Great Uniter mentioned you would be joining us to quiet the unrest. What can I do for you?" 

Bolin pushed the picture forward across the desk. "I'm looking for this girl. Where is she?"

The soldier's eyes widened as he look a quick look at the picture. "The Ba Sing Se rose," he then fixed Bolin with a searching look, "A well known dangerous anarchist. What could you possibly want with her?"

"Her mother wanted me to bring her home."

"She was arrested for causing the riots we had earlier this month," he slid the picture back to Bolin, "She has been dealt with. The matter has been dealt with, you can tell that to the mother."

"Wonderful." Bolin's smile was deadly, "Just tell me which prison she's in so she can visit her daughter and I'll leave."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're not cleared for that information. Drop it."

Bolin leaned in close, no longer smiling. "No. Tell. Me. Where. She. Is." 

The commander looked furious, "You have no idea who you are messing with. If you think Kuvira is going to protect you when it comes to this issue then you are wrong. All I need to do is tell her that you're working with the Ba Sing Se rose and you'll disappear just as quickly as her."

"So you have been disappearing people." Bolin pulled back a disgusted expression crossing his face, "And to think I believed that I was helping people by working for you."

"That's treason boy. You take that back now or I will be forced to take action against you." 

"I don't think I will." Bolin snarled back, "Your so called Empire is rotten to the core. I had to be the biggest idiot to think you were helping people here. The Earth Kingdom would have been better off it the Empire never existed."

The commander's eyes flashed as pure rage turned his face a dark purple. "That's it. You're under arrest for being an anarchist. You want to know what happened to the Ba Sing Se rose? Well you will now, because you're going to be joining her." 

~*~

Bolin let Korra drag him off of the ferry and back onto the island. It felt weird to be standing there once more, he’d spent so much time convinced he would never see it again. It was the second most beautiful thing he had seen in his life. 

“Everyone’s inside waiting for you,” Korra explained delightedly tugging Bolin further into the island, “They all wanted to come pick you up from the docks with us.”

Asami quickly cut in walking next to Bolin. “But we had no idea how long the wait would take and they wanted to make sure that the food was still warm by the time you got back.”

Bolin had to keep from freezing at that comment. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being surrounded by everyone right now. He kind of just wanted to curl up in a room by himself and sleep for the next year. Asami must have seen something on his face because she quickly said, “If you don’t want to see them, that’s fine too…”  
“No, what? Asami it’s fine,” Bolin assured her quickly somehow managing to get a smile on his face, “I just wasn’t expecting everyone to come. It’s not a big deal that I’’m back.”

“Of course its a big deal!” Korra fixed him with an unamused look for his comment, “We missed you, so of course we’re going to welcome you home.”

Bolin managed to smile somehow as Korra pushed open the door to the dining room. She sent the room a blinding grin announcing, “Look who I picked up!” 

Bolin realed back as he was hit by a wave of noise. People were all moving towards him, just a sea of people. He had to get out, had to get away, it was always bad when it was that loud and they all had to move at once. Bolin was beginning to debate if he should just turn and run right then, drag Korra and Asami with him. 

But just as he was about to turn, two arms wrapped around him and pulled him in for a hug. A very familiar hug. Bolin threw himself into the embrace burying his face in that familiar chest comforted by the scent of smoke and sandalwood. “Hey Bo,” Mako whispered burying his face in his younger brother’s hair, “It’s been a while.”

Bolin clung tighter to his brother, trying not to break down into relieved tears as he clung tight. “Hey yourself,” he managed to rasp out. 

He had to keep from crying out as Mako gently pushed him away no doubt to get a good look at his younger brother for the first time in over a year. Bolin already knew what Mako was going to see and it was not pretty.

Mako couldn’t help the stupid grin that was stretched across his face as he hugged his younger brother. He pulled away to get a good look at his little brother wondering what kind of changes this year apart had caused. And that was when the smile slid off of his face. Bolin was far too thin and pale for Mako’s standards, the worn grey robes he was wearing were basically falling off of his frame. But what really caught Mako’s attention was the bandage covering half of his little brother’s face, and judging from the sudden silence behind him everyone else had seen it also. 

“Spirits Bolin,” Mako hissed reaching up to tenderly touch the bandages, “What happened?”

Bolin let out an uneasy laugh at that question. “Funny story that. Let’s just say I should have ducked a lot faster than I managed.”

That just made Mako even more concerned. He knew his little brother had great reflexes, years of pro-bending helped with that. Something bad had happened to his little brother and now he was trying to cover it up. 

Kya moved forward, a gentle smile on her face. “Well, that shouldn’t be a problem. I can fix it right up…”

“NO!”

Mako pulled back in surprise as Bolin wrenched himself out of Mako’s hold a terrified look on his gaunt face. There was fear in his brother’s eyes, pure fear as he stared at Kya. Mako had never seen Bolin look that terrified of someone in his life. 

Somehow Bolin managed to get control over himself, slowing his heartbeat down and relaxing. Once he was no longer on the verge of doing something stupid he was able to see the surprised looks on everyone’s faces in the room. Mako looked heartbroken as he studied Bolin, Kya looked taken aback by his scream. 

Only Bumi didn’t look shocked by the situation. The once soldier was watching Bolin with knowing eyes, a frown on his usually smiling face. 

Taking a deep breath Bolin managed a weak smile for Kya. “Oh geez, I’m so sorry about that,” Bolin rubbed his neck nervously, “It’s just, the medic on the ship took a look at it earlier today. He gave me some medicine and said not to take the bandage off for twenty four hours. I just wanted to be careful.” 

Luckily that seemed to settle everyone down. Bolin let himself get pulled into the fray of people accepting hugs and well wishes. Kai held onto him for a particularly long time a delighted expression on his young face. “It’s good to have you back,” Kai said delightedly, “I’ve missed you.”

Bolin once again had to struggle not to cry. “I missed you too kid.” 

Pema was the one to force Bolin to sit down at the table. She quickly loaded his plate with everything he’d mentioned he like giving him a motherly smile and a quick hug. “I made sure to grab you some of those noodles you love so much,” Pema told him cheerfully taking her seat next to Tenzin. 

Bolin let himself just drift on the happy conversation going on around him safely placed between Mako and Kai. It feels good to be here among his friends and family again, and slowly Bolin can feel himself starting to smile for real. He even let himself be dragged into the conversation something he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do that day. But it happened.

“So come on, you have to tell me how you learned sandbending,” Korra begged eyes shining. 

Bolin shrugged as everyones attention turned to him after Korra’s comment. “There’s not much to say really,” Bolin admitted, “I was held up at this one place for a while, it was pretty hard to get out at that time of year so there weren’t many options. I met the sandbender there and we started to talk.”

“So he just taught you how to sandbend?” Lin demanded scepticism clear on her face, “Just like that?”

“Nah, he taught me because we were all really bored,” Bolin laughed a little at that remembering that week, “We were snowed into the bara...the cabin due to an early winter storm and there was nothing to do. But we had some dust on the floor, so we convinced the sandbender to try and bend it."

"And it worked?" Lin asked skeptically. 

"Not at all." Bolin chuckled a bit at that, "But somehow he'd managed to smuggle a bag of sand in and we used that to practice. He taught all the earthbenders, and I just kept up with it until I could actually manage it."

Korra looked insanely delighted by the news, "Can you teach me to sandbend?" 

But Mako had his own question. Turning to Bolin, Mako asked, "Where did you go that a guy had to smuggle in sand?" 

Bolin's smile froze as he ducked his head to regard the table. Mako noticed his hands were shaking as he placed down his chopsticks on the table with a loud clatter. "I...I think I'm more tired than I expected," Bolin's voice was shaky, "If it's alright I'd like to head to bed and get some rest." 

"Of course," Pema was up and moving leading Bolin from the with a motherly smile, "I've got a room set up for you." 

Mako could only watch helplessly as the door slid shut behind them taking his brother away again. An awkward silence had fallen over the table as everyone tried to think just what set Bolin off like that. 

Not surprisingly it was Ikki who broke the silence. "What's wrong with Bolin?" she asked innocently as the adults traded worried looks, "He was acting really funny."

"Not to mention how sick he looks," Kai muttered softly. That was something Mako had been wondering about also. 

"Forget about that!" Meelo slammed his hands on the kitchen table, "I want to hear about how he got an eyepatch! That's so cool!" 

"Whoa there buddy, don't get ahead of yourself," Bumi cut in quickly. Tenzin, Kya, and Lin all shared surprised looks at that. "You have to remember Bolin's been gone for a long time, and more importantly he came in on a refugee ship. That's not usually a good thing."

Mako's eyes narrowed as every protective instinct was raised in his body. "You think something happened to my brother?" he growled out. 

"He's wearing an eyepatch," Lin cut in a sympathetic expression on her face as she regarded Mako, "I'm pretty sure whatever caused that was bad." 

It was a struggle not to get up and go running after Bolin. He just wanted to pull his little brother in for a hug and demand what had happened since they parted. He just wanted to make all of Bolin's problems go away just like he had when they were children. 

It was quiet as they finished dinner. All of them stuck wondering what had happened to change Bolin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bolin's fear of Kya will be explained later. If you want to know what he will be facing, look up Mengele because a character based on that monster will be appearing later on in the story.


	3. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chater three. I am sorry for the delay in updates so I'll be putting a couple of chapters up for you guys. I hope you enjoy them. Next chapter I'm going to start I troducing the various refugees Bolin knows so I hope you're looking forward to it.

Bolin had been shoved onto a train that was leaving Ba Sing Se. He was pushed into a crowded compartment already crammed with other people. He had settled down in the corner of the train car with the other people. The guards of the prison hadn't let him change so Bolin was still wearing his street clothes, something he was happy for when they were all shoved together. 

Next to him was a mother holding her crying child. They were both obviously Fire Nation, just like the majority of people in the car. There were a couple of Earth Nation there also but they were the minority there. 

It was hot in the train car. They would have given anything for a waterbender as they all sweated in the heat. The first day they were all quiet, too busy wondering where they were going, what they could do to escape. By the second day they were all resigned to their fate. Bolin didn't even care where he was going anymore, he didn't care about the girl he'd gone to find. He just wanted off this fucking hot train. 

Day two they were all trading stories, getting to know each other. They didn't know how long they would be stuck together so why not? 

"I'm from the lower ring," the mother next to him told the car when it was her turn, her child clinging to her dress, "I left my home in the Fire Nation because I loved my husband. I didn't care that we were poor, I was just happy to be with him. He died when the terrorists brought the wall down last year. He'd been trying to help people and he was killed by the lava. Left me and out son Hidashi here alone."

For the first time since she'd gotten on the train, tears filled the mother's eyes. "I did everything the Earth Empire asked," she whispered brokenly kissing the top of her son's head, "I paid all my taxes, I was a good citizen. And now they arrested me and my son just because we're Fire Nation." 

Heavy silence fell over the train car because it was true. They were all here because they were Fire Nation. One of the other men turned to Bolin, "What's your story? How'd you get on this train kid?"

"I asked where they'd taken some girl. I...I saw her mother handing out her picture and I knew I had to help. I always have to help," Bolin let his eyes fall closed as he let his head thunk against the train car wall, "My brother always told me I needed to be more selfish. We grew up on the street and he took care of me. It was hard enough with just that but we're mixed. It's obvious when we're together, no one wanted to give jobs to mixed race kids. Mixed kids are seen as the lowest of the low, no wanted anything to do with us."

He clenched his hands into fists. "That's when I wanted to start helping people. Since no one helped us, I wanted...I just wanted to give another kid the help that no one ever gave us. I wanted to help people so badly I even joined Kuvira's military. I bought every lie she fed me about doing good and making the world a better place. What kind of idiot am I?" 

There was a long drawn out silence when Bolin finished talking. He only opened his eyes when he felt the mother's gentle hand on his arm. He was faced with the sympathetic faces of every person in the train car. And it was because he was one of Kuvira's soldiers. A soldier who had actually cared to look for one of them. 

"What made you look for the girl," one of the men whispered. It was a hopeful plea, what would it take for someone to come looking for them.

"That mother reminded me of my brother," Bolin admitted softly, "I knew if I disappeared he'd be out there doing the same thing as her. And I'd want someone to help him." 

They spent a week on that train. There was no food given to any of them, and only enough water to keep them from dying of thirst. Bolin spent half of his time comforting Hidashi when his mother needed to rest and the other half trying to keep everyone's spirits up. It was hard, especially when he was losing hope also. 

Finally though they were pulled from the train. The soldiers forced them out, armed with whips and guns as they forced them to march towards a cluster of buildings. One of the men broke free from the group taking off at a dead run for the hills. One of the guards pulled out their gun and Bolin could only watch as he pulled the trigger. 

The crack of the gun brought the entire group of prisoners to silence as they watched in horror. The man's head exploded in a spray of blood as he crumpled to the ground dead. Again the urge to be able to metalbend rose in Bolin as he was dragged along with the other prisoners into the camp. One of the guards stood in front of the closest building directing the prisoners as they shuffled past. "Men to the right, women and children to the left. Men to the right, women and children to the left." 

They were divided up quickly the guards ripping families apart when they tried to stay together. Bolin watched as one of the guards pulled a screaming boy from his mother the two reaching out for each other as they were separated. Husbands and wives were pulled from each other leaving the people sobbing as they were pulled into different sections of the buildings. 

“Where are you taking them?” one of the men screamed as a guard dragged him away from a crying woman and child, “Where are you taking my wife and child?”

“They’re going to take a shower,” the guard responded coldly. 

Bolin’s eyes caught the mother he’d sat next to holding little Hidashi’s hand as they were led away. The child waved goodbye to Bolin and he could only wave back helplessly before the pair disappeared into the crowd of women and children. Bolin was also shoved helplessly along with the mass of men and older children into another building. 

High overhead a massive metal slab was hung over the buildings gathered behind it. The symbol of the Earth Empire had been stamped into the metal along with a phrase. “Work will set you free.” Bolin would come to hate that phrase just as much as he hated the guards of the camp.

But even years later Bolin would always wonder: how could just asking where a person was lead to this?

~*~

Mako slid open the door to Bolin’s room quietly before creeping him. He expected to find his brother asleep in bed, tired from the long journey no doubt. Instead Bolin was sitting pressed against the rooms wall, face buried in Pabu’s fur. 

Creeping over to his side, Mako took a seat next to Bolin before gently pulling Bolin in for a hug. The earthbender moved with the motion, resting his head on Mako’s shoulder quietly. All Mako could do was hold him close, gently running a hand through Bolin’s hair. It had been a form of comfort when they’d been on the streets. 

“You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong,” Mako whispered into the silence of the room. Bolin froze in his arms, and clutched Pabu even closer causing the fire ferret to squeak. “Just remember if you ever need to talk, I’m here to listen.”

Bolin was quiet for a long while just leaning against his older brother. It was taking everything Mako possessed not to grab Bolin by the shoulders and shake the answers out of him. Eventually though Bolin pulled himself away from Mako. 

He reached down, gently uncoiling the bandages around his left arm. His forearm was covered in scrapes and scars that hadn’t been there last time the brothers had met. But that wasn’t what Bolin wanted to show Mako. 

Instead he turned his arm over revealing the underside of his arm for Mako to study. Mako’s gaze was drawn to one area in specific. There was a brand on his little brother’s arm. Someone had branded Bolin like an animal. Red was starting to creep into his vision even as Mako reached out to gently wrap his hand around Bolin’s too thin wrist.

It was a simple brand. The symbol for the earth kingdom was marked into his brother’s skin with the fire nation sign over it. Under that was another mark, the number twenty four burned into his brother’s skin. 

Again the urge to demand what had happened to Bolin overcame Mako, but he kept control of himself. Something was telling him Bolin needed the quiet more.

“I wanted to show this to you so you’d have an idea of what happened,” Bolin whispered while retying the wrappings. The moment he was done Pabu clambered back into his lap. “They sent me to a reeducation camp, that’s why I was on the ship with the other refugees.”

“Spirits Bo,” Mako whispered tugging his brother closer for comfort.

Bolin let out a hopeless laugh even as he returned to hiding his face in Mako’s shoulder, “Don’t worry I’m fine. The others came out of the camp in worse condition than me. It’s just...it’s really hard to talk about what happened there…”

“Hey, that’s fine. You don’t have to tell me anything,” Mako whispered smiling gently when Bolin turned watery eyes up at him. “Just remember I’ll be there if you ever need to talk about it.”

“You’ve gotten better at the emotion thing,” Bolin chuckled lowly a small smile crossing his face, “What happened?”

Mako rolled his eyes, “Prince Wu and his delicate sensibilities happened. Every time I yelled at him, grandma yelled at me for being rude to royalty.”

“You’re still working for him? I thought Lin would have pulled you back on the force by now,” Bolin teased laughing as Mako scowled at him. The older bender shoved Bolin who was cackling like mad.

"It's not funny Bo," Mako complained, "He can't do anything. Wu managed to get himself kidnapped using the bathroom. Seriously, stop laughing." 

They settled down for the night, curled up against the wall with Pabu pressed between them. It was almost like old times, except they were well fed and indoors. The two brother’s fell asleep curled against each other with Pabu curled up around Bolin’s neck. It was a much better start than Bolin was used to.

~*~

The guards shoved the make prisoners deeper into the building faces harsh as they glared down at the scared prisoners. Bolin frowned as they were forced into a room filled with stools. Each person was forced onto one of the stools while a doctor in white lab coats came up to look them over. Bolin struggled not to fidget as each one check him over, shining light into his eyes, picking through his hair, checking his pulse. It was disturbingly intimate. 

The medic pulled away from Bolin before turning to his assistant who was writing furiously on the clipboard next to him. “He’s clear. No lice or fleas, no present illnesses,” the medic announced duly before returning his attention to Bolin, “Say your last name and nation of birth.”

“Bolin, and I’m from Republic City.”

“I didn’t ask for the city, I wanted to know the nation of birth,” the medic told him coldly. “What nation were your parents from?” 

His confusion was growing along with the feeling of dread, “My dad was from the Earth Kingdom, and my mom was Fire Nation.”

 

“A half breed then,” the disgust was clear in the medic’s voice as he addressed his assistant, “You see, this is the filth the Great Uniter wants cleared from the Empire. A good thing they managed to catch the boy. Mark him down for both nations and leave a note for this to be taken to the labs. He might be useful.” 

The assistant nodded before reaching out and dragging Bolin from the stool and to the end of the hallway. Another table was set up there with another round of bored looking guards just watching the proceedings. “This one is from Earth and Fire Nation,” the assistant informed them before disappearing back into the mass of bodies that filled the rooms.

One of the guards gestured impatiently, “Hold out your left arm.” 

Bolin glared back, “No.”

The guard rolled his eyes before waving his hand to his comrades. It took them quick work to wrestle Bolin to the ground, forcing him to hold out his arm so the underside was showing. No matter how hard he struggled against the people holding him, Bolin was unable to break free. 

His eyes widened in horror as the guard pulled out a red hot brand. “No! Nononononono,” Bolin cried out struggling to get away. The guard looked disgruntled, “Hold him still.”

The two guards pinned Bolin down letting the other guard press the brand to his arm. The hiss of the fire sounded in the now silent room before the screaming started. Bolin screamed in agony the searing pain of his burning flesh traveling up his arm. Distantly he was aware of the people behind him panicking as they realized this was the fate that awaited them once they were cleared by the doctors.

The guards hauled Bolin up off of the table and dragged him to the next room. He could still hear the others screaming in fear and pain behind him. “Strip,” one of the guards ordered. Bolin guessed if he refused they’d force his clothes off anyway, so what the hell he complied. Once his clothes were gathered in a corner a new pile of clothing was shoved into his arms with a terse order to get dressed. Bolin quickly pulled on the scratchy grey clothing before he was ushered into another room. 

“Wait here for your room assignment,” the guard said coldly before slamming the door behind him as he left.

Bolin stood there awkwardly in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around himself. This had to be the worst welcome he’d ever received in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think of it so far. Reviews make me write faster.


	4. Hanging Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meet Hiroshi: He's 39 years old, born in Gaipan. He's married to an Earth Kingdom woman and has two children who are still at home. Hiroshi himself is an earthbender but was still arrested by the Earth Empire. He was arrested for smuggling out Water Tribe and Fire Nation people of Gaipan, and thrown into the camps for treason. He doesn't know if his children and wife are safe, or in a different camp.

Safe inside of the Air Temple, two brothers slept curled together for the first time in years. The older one slept easily gently holding his little brother close as the night wore on. But the younger brother’s sleep was not so peaceful. Horrifying nightmares plagued him as he tried to sleep through the night. Bolin whimpered in his sleep body twitching as horrifying memories continued to play through his head…

He was so hungry….no one should ever have to feel that awful empty feeling of true hunger…he’d thought he’d never be this hungry ever again….

Bolin could hear the children crying around him…soft broken sobs as they wailed…”Get up Bolin…get up he’s coming….” It didn’t matter nothing did in this in between place of life and death. Bolin barely even had the strength to lift his head…

Kazuki lay next to him, the small child clinging to Bolin’s hand as terrified tears rolled down the young face…behind him Akita was screaming in agony…a constant grating sound as she yelled and yelled…

A blink and it’s a different scene but one just as familiar as the other…Bolin strapped down to a metal table too weak to escape…

The doctors stand around him whispering about his conditions. “Halfbreed” is what he hears them hiss the most…

And there he is, the devil who haunts every waking moment. Bolin is unsure if he can ever escape the sickening influence of this monster…how dare he smile as if he is here to help…how dare he pretend he is a real doctor…how can Bolin ever escape the memories…

“I must say 24, you have certainly been the best so far,” the voice is like poisonous oil drowning Bolin, “Your lavabending is extraordinary. But let’s see it try to save you from this.”

He’s holding a needle, spirits no anything but that…Bolin can’t breathe as the needle enters his arm, as the monster injects something into him…he’s seen what it does people get shots and never wake up…don’t close your eyes, Bolin thinks to himself even as the darkness begins to descend…

Don’t close your eyes, or you’ll never wake up…

Don’t close your eyes, or you’ll never…

Don’t close your eyes, or you’ll…

Don’t close your eyes…

Don’t close…

Don’t…

Then nothing.

With a gasp Bolin returned to the world of the waking. He’d fallen asleep. Bolin was horrified to realize he’d broken the first rule. Never fall asleep because you may never wake up. He had to get away from here, had to get out of this room. The walls were closing in on him they would slowly suffocate him until nothing was left why were they trapping him here?

Stumbling to his feet Bolin ran out of the bedroom blind to anything but the outdoors. Throwing open the door Bolin tripped over himself letting out an agonized sob as he crumpled to the floor. He needed to see the moon. The moon would help. It was always there for him, a steady source of comfort from the horrors of reality. When the little ones cried Bolin would point out the moon and tell them it was a beautiful spirit watching over them.

Another sob burst from his chest as Bolin smashed his fists weakly into the wooden floor. Spirits but he hated wood, hated how it kept him from the world, kept him isolated. Why were they doing this to him? Why were they torturing him? He thought Pema could help but if she’d surround him with wood then maybe she was in league with the doctor…  
Before he could continue that train of thought, Bolin felt powerful arms wrap around him. He kicked and struggled, too scared to scream even as they was dragged out of the hallway. They’d said he’d be safe here, Bolin had stupidly believed them. He refused to let them take him back to the operating room. He’d bite off his tongue and drown in his own blood first.

He needed to get out of this hold. Bolin continued to struggle even as he was pulled outside. He tried to twist free frantically but was only pulled against a powerful chest. They were going to hurt him again, he didn’t want to hurt he want to sleep. Strange…it sounded like someone was talking to him.

“It’s alright Bo you’re safe here I’ve got you no one will ever hurt you again I’ll kill them first before they touch you just breathe,” he knew that voice, the comforting deep voice whispering in his ear. Bolin could feel himself calming as the voice continued to whisper and the arms held him close (no longer a threat, safe and warm in these arms) as Bolin began to recognize who was speaking to him, “Just look up the moon is shining tonight I know how much you love the moon don’t worry I’m here to protect you nothing bad will ever happen as long as I can stop it…”

“Iroh,” Bolin whispered pulling back far enough to stare into the worried golden eyes of the general who held him close. Bolin managed a frail smile, “What are you doing here?”

“Bumi wanted me to explain the newest threat,” Iroh murmured back voice low and soft in the still night air, “I was just heading back to my ship when I saw you needed help.”

That was embarrassing. Bolin flushed with shame as he dropped his eyes to the ground,   
“I’m so sorry you had to deal with that.”

“It’s fine I was expecting it soon,” Iroh waved of his apology, “Nightmares only come when you’re mind feels safe enough to rest. That’s why no one had them on the ship. But here where you know you’re safe…”

“They’ll be coming for me more,” Bolin whispered back burying his head in space between Iroh’s neck and shoulder, “I…I can’t go back to sleep Iroh. I’m scared if I do I’ll never wake up.”

“That’s fine,” the general murmured kissing the top of Bolin’s head. “Why don’t we play Pai Sho until the morning, and once its light I’ll take you to the hospital to check in with everything.”

“Sounds perfect,” Bolin murmured letting Iroh lead him back into the house, clinging to the general’s robes desperately like it was his last connection to reality.

They knew each other quite well, they’d spoken often during the voyage but that wasn’t all of it. Bolin had spent weeks one on one with Iroh before they departed for Republic City helping to organize the refugees and provide aid. During that time the two had developed a strong friendship.

But it was more than that on Bolin’s side. How could he not have fallen in love with the man who saved him?

~*~

Bolin had been shoved into the barracks with a group of other prisoners. People gave their barrack a wide berth because it was the strangest one there. Most of them were divided up by their nation, so all one was all Fire Nation, another Earth, and the final Water. But not Bolin’s. They were a mix of people shoved into the same barrack.

He was an earthbender, he still hadn’t admitted he was a lavabender. Baraz was a firebender, Hiroshi an earthbender, and Fahim was a sandbender. They were a strange mix but that wasn’t the strangest part of it. No, it was that they were the only ones in the barrack, the other ones were packed to the brim with people who had to sleep three to a bunk. It had them all nervous, except for Hiroshi who had been here for a while.

“It’s cause the commandant is gone,” Hiroshi explained to them one day, “We’re the ones who are going to be doing the really dirty jobs along with the women’s dorm across from us. As soon as he gets back we’ll start working our asses off and it will be a whole different story.”

Baraz looked up at that from where he and Bolin had curled up together against the wall of the barrack (“Sleep alone die alone,” Fahim had told them the first night, “It gets cold at night, share heat so you don’t freeze”). “What do you mean?” the firebender demanded.

“Simple. Bolin, Fahim, and I are going to be digging for them,” Hiroshi told them a haunted expression on his face, “While you’ll be working with another firebender names Akita in the ovens. They also have a couple of waterbenders over there who will be in the hospital.”

“Where is the commandant?” Bolin asked.

“Finding some new people to for the doctor,” Hiroshi had a disgusted look on his face,   
“There’s a man you want to avoid. Catch the doctor’s eye and you’ll never be seen again.”

Fahim cut in, his soft voice echoing in the room, “You’ve seen the children’s barack next to us. They’re his subjects, so they’re treated differently than the other children in the barracks across the camp.”

“And he’s out getting more of them?” Bolin couldn’t help the horror from growing inside of him. Just the thought of someone experimenting on a child was horrific.

“That’s what the commandant is for. He keeps all the dirty work going,” Hiroshi explained,   
“Look, just keep any special bending talents hidden and you should be fine. Baraz is you can bend lightning, avoid it at all costs. Bolin…whatever earth magic you can pull off just don’t. Keep your head down and make it through the day. That’s all anyone can ask for.”

They spent the week getting to know the girls across the way. Akita was a firebender with a wicked sense of humor and some very strong ideas. Bolin had already watched her call out several of the guards on their apparent war crimes before being beat down with the whips. It got to the point where Bolin and the others would trade off the job of dragging   
Akita away when she’d start screaming at the guards.

Ahnah was the only waterbender there, although rumor had the commandant was bringing a new one when he returned. “They don’t like to keep waterbenders here,” Ahnah told Bolin one day as they were waiting for their food to be served, “It’s going to start snowing here, and snow and waterbenders are a dangerous combination. At most there’s three of us and we’re monitored closely.”

The only other woman was a mixed race non-bender named Fatma who refused to speak about her job. She was pale, her eyes haunted whenever anyone talked to her. When Baraz asked Ahnah, the waterbender admitted Fatma worked for the doctor.

Not only that but Bolin got to know the children next door. They were precious little things, the youngest around three and the oldest at fifteen. Bolin quickly became a favorite with them because he would sit with at least four children draped across him before telling the children at large fairy tales he knew. The majority were just silly things Mako had made up when they’d been young, but several had been taught to him by Asami.

Hiroshi seemed to take pity on him. “Don’t get close to the kids,” he told Bolin one night when they were hunkering down to sleep, “They’re not going to last long. Once the doctor and the commandant come back, they’ll start disappearing.”

But Bolin refused to listen. The kids needed someone, they looked at him with trusting eyes and clung to his clothes. They never asked him to save them, just to give them a little more hope.

At the end of the week the commandant returned. Walking with him was the doctor who wore his Earth Empire uniform with pride. He made Bolin want to punch his smug face in. Following behind the pair was a group of people, all of them exhausted and worn looking. They were even thinner than Bolin and the prisoners which was saying something. Bolin watched as a young boy stumbled before rushing over to help save him. He finally used his lava even though he was beaten into the ground and dragged away. Akita shook the fence screaming at them to leave him alone, that they were monsters, everything she could think of as she watched Bolin’s unconscious body be pulled away.

Standing in the road, the doctor turned to the commandant. “A lavabender?” the doctor asked with a raised brow, “How soon can I have him?”

“After tomorrow he’s all yours,” the commandant informed him, “But we’ll be needing him to help prepare where the filth will go.”

“Of course, I’ll be sure he’s always ready to perform your work commandant.”

~*~

Mako woke up to an empty room. He would never admit it but he was terrified for a brief moment about where his brother had gotten to. It was almost like the previous night had just been a dream where his little brother was home and safe from Kuvira’s reach.

The sound of the door sliding open caught his attention. He turned to see the disappointed expressions on Korra and Asami’s face as they peaked through the opening. “Aw, is Bolin up already?” Korra complained, “I wanted to see him before breakfast.”

Right, that’s where Bolin was. He was probably already eating. “Looks like he wasn’t that   
tired after all,” Mako mused clambering to his feet and leaving the room.

“Then I guess we better go find him,” Asami said cheerfully bending down to scoop up Pabu before the group of friends started towards the dining room. It wasn’t a long walk to get there from the men’s dormitories so in a matter of minutes they were entering the room. They expected to see Bolin and Pema chatting happily over breakfast, maybe one of the air kids or two. But not this.

Bolin was seated towards the back of the table across from General Iroh (when had he arrived?) and Bumi. The three were wrapped up in a heated discussion, unaware of the confused looks they were getting from the rest of the table. Meelo, who was closest to Bumi, looked especially confused.

Mako quietly took the seat next to his brother, while the girls sat near them. Bolin though didn’t seem to notice that anyone else had arrived. Whatever the conversation he was having was, it was more important than the food on his plate. It concerned Mako that his brother hadn’t started eating yet.

“I understand that they need medical treatment,” Bolin told Bumi, the bandages around his eye making him appear even more serious, “But using the hospital is not the way to go about it. I don’t see why we can’t use some of the military barracks and bring medics there.”

Iroh cut in then, quick to defend Bolin from Bumi’s unimpressed expression. “The soldiers have already volunteered to make room for the refugees who need medical help. It won’t be a serious inconvenience.”

Bumi still didn’t look convinced with their argument. “While its great the soldiers want to help, they’re being ridiculous,” Bumi said, “The children need medical help that they can only get at a hospital. Keeping them from the professionals they need is not in their best interest.”

Surprise washed over Mako. And judging from Asami whispering children to herself and the various other expressions around the table he wasn’t the only one. Why was Bolin talking about injured children anyway?

It was clear that Kya felt the same way as she butted into the conversation. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Bumi. The hospitals will be able to offer children better service all around, they are trained for this.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Bolin told her flatly, “They’re terrified of hospitals and with good reason. Put them in one and they’ll be too terrified to actually heal.”

“My soldiers have managed to get many of the children to trust them. It will be easier for the army to help them heal at this point,” Iroh added.

Bolin shook his head sadly, “Not to mention the older ones have made it clear they’d rather die than walk into a hospital ever again.”

Bumi’s eyebrows rose in a visible sign of shock at that. “That’s…a very serious declaration. Were the conditions inside of the hospitals in the camps that bad?”

“They were,” was all Bolin would say on the subject. He visibly shut down returning to his breakfast in stony silence. An awkward silence had fallen over the table but slowly they were able to break it again. Mako didn’t care to join in the conversation, he was too concerned watch his brother eat. Bolin kept his food close while eating quickly and efficiently. It was heartbreakingly reminiscent to how they’d had to eat on the streets, like at any moment someone would steal your food and you’d be left hungry.

Mako didn’t want to bring attention to it and focused on his own breakfast. He was aware that Iroh and Bumi had noted Bolin’s behavior, but Iroh seemed more resigned than worried. Almost like he expected Bolin to act this way.

Suddenly Mako regretted not forcing Bolin to tell him what had happened. Maybe if he’d knew he’d be able to help in some way. But instead Bolin was avoiding speaking about the subject.

 

After breakfast everyone dispersed quickly leaving just a few people behind. Mako and the girls watched with curious eyes as Bolin and Iroh regarded each other across the table. They were more familiar than anyone had been expecting.

Iroh was the first to break their silence. “I managed to find Kazuki. He’s currently being treated in the Republic City General Hospital for frostbite.”

A relieved smile broke across Bolin’s face at the news. “That’s wonderful,” he breathed out, “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find him now that he was in the city. Do you think they’ll let me visit him?”

“I’m sure they couldn’t stop you if they tried,” Iroh replied drolly earning a small laugh out of the earthbender. “Are you sure you’ll be alright visiting him though?”

Bolin waved a hand dismissively, “I’ll be fine, but the warning is appreciated. Really Iroh, I can’t thank you enough for finding him.”

“It was no problem, I just wish I could help more,” with that he rose, an action Bolin was quick to copy. “I have to return to my ship to see about moving the children. I trust you’ll be coming to the meeting tomorrow?”

“If I didn’t Baraz would just hunt me down and drag me there,” Bolin managed to bring a small smile to Iroh’s face. The two gazed at each other, a hundred different things passing between them at that moment. Mako’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the longing on both their faces. What the hell had Bolin gotten himself involved in?

“Seriously Iroh, I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for this,” Bolin whispered, “We’ll never forget what you’ve done for us.”

“I just did what was right.” And that was the end of that. The two shook hands and then Iroh was walking out the doors headed back to his ships. Bolin watched him go, jumping when Korra cleared her throat to remind him of the audience.

“Soooo,” drawled out the Avatar, “Whose Kazuki?”

“He’s a friend of mine, got a really bad case of frostbite,” Bolin explained leading them out of the dining room. He was quite aware of Mako hovering at his side but didn’t want to point it out, “Actually, I was going to visit him in the hospital if you wanted to join me. I’m sure he’d love to meet all of you.”

Asami looked delighted, “That sounds wonderful! I’d love to come!”

“Count me in,” Korra announced practically skipping towards the ferry in her excitement to meet one of Bolin’s new friends, “How about you Mako? Able to come with us, or do you have to go pick up Wu?”

Mako shrugged, “I managed to convince Lin to watch him for me today. Told her I needed to spend some time with family.”

Bolin let out a delighted laugh, his visible eye crinkling with delight. “I can see it right now,” he managed to gasp out in answer to the other’s questioning looks, “Wu hitting on Lin, and her pounding him into the ground!”

A moment of silence passed as they all just stared at Bolin before they all started laughing as well. Asami and Korra had to lean against each other to keep from falling over, while Mako tugged Bolin close and ruffled his madly protesting little brother’s hair. It didn’t matter what Bolin was hiding, Mako mused, it was just great to finally have him home.

~_~

Bolin had been pulled from his sleep early that morning by the guards. With the return of the commandant their jobs in the camp now began. The majority of the prisoners would be working in a factory but not them. They were being sent somewhere else. Baraz , Akita, Ahnah, and Fatma were led away to a different section of the camp all of them resigned for whatever they would face. Bolin followed Hiroshi as they were led by armed guards to the back of the camp itself. The guards set them to work digging deep pits into the earth.

Something told Bolin he didn’t want to know what the pits were for.

They worked through the entire morning, back breaking painful work. Bolin was exhausted after the first hour but the guards wouldn’t let them stop. They had to keep going. Finally though, they were done. “Now we wait until the next group is done,” Hiroshi explained, “Then we cover the top of the pits with earth again.”

Bolin nodded too exhausted too much else by this point. He was hungry, but what was new? For days the familiar pain of hunger had been creeping up on him but it wasn’t like they were fed often. Bolin would kill for some dumplings.

Bolin perked up as a loud noise reached his ears. He could only watch was Fahim appeared with several more men, each of them dragging a cart behind them as they approached the pits. The carts were stacked to the brim with something, but Bolin couldn’t make it out from here. But what caught Bolin’s attention was the person helping Fahim drag the cart over.

It was the boy Bolin had saved yesterday.

“On your feet,” one of the guards ordered, “Start helping them.”

Bolin clambered onto his feet and approached the cart. All of the workers looked nauseous as they began unloading the contents of the carts. The boy looked especially sick as he struggled to each in. Now that he was closer Bolin could see why, and it took all of his willpower not to vomit from the sheer horror he was witnessing.

The carts were filled with bodies. Men, women, and children, all thrown together into one big pile to be dragged away and forgotten. He hadn’t dug a pit, he’d helped dig mass graves. With shaking hands Bolin reached out and grabbed the nearest corpse helping the boy to toss it into the grave. They worked in silence for a long while, neither willing to speak as the blank stares of the dead gazed at them.

Eventually though, the boy broke the quiet. “You’re the one who stopped the guards yesterday,” it was a simple statement of face, but his young gold eyes were confused, “Why?”

Bolin stared back at him, and anyone who’d ever met him would have been surprised. All traces of humor were gone in that moment, leaving a serious young man. “Because it was the right thing to do,” was the only answer Bolin could give the boy.

“Oh…” that seemed to surprise the boy and they continued piling in the bodies in silence. “My…my name’s Kazuki.”

Bolin sent him a small smile, “Nice to meet you Kazuki, I’m Bolin.”

They returned to their work, it was still a grim task but made better knowing each others names. There was something about knowing there was another person with you, not just another face, that kept them going through the motions of the job. 

Bolin though made the mistake of looking down. His eyes landed on the face of one of the corpses in the pit and he froze. Wide terrified eyes stared back up at him, the mouth open in a haunted scream that was forever etched into the corpses face. 

It was Tadashi. The little boy Bolin had cared for on the train. 

The rage he’d felt on the train was nothing like the rage now. It was a creeping feeling that swarmed up through Bolin as he continued to stare at the corpse. He could hear a buzzing sound in his ear even as his vision began to turn red. A snarl was torn from his throat and in that instance Bolin turned on the guards. 

It would be whispered about for months to come. How the lavabender killed seven guards before they managed to subdue him by beating him half to death. How the young man was a threat, that they were terrified of him and his bending. To make him stop they killed several prisoners in front of his eyes before he gave in. And only then to save their lives.

The prisoners remembered. The story would spread throughout the camps. Bolin was the Liberator, the one who would save them all. The whispers followed and grew stronger, especially when Bolin was given over to the doctor.


	5. I Can See the Face, but I Can't Recall the Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a quick heads up for you guys. I've been working on a series of oneshots in this universe and am taking requests. So if there are any characters or reactions you want to see, I'll get right on it. 
> 
> Fahim: a 45 year old sandbender,myhe is the only survivor of his tribe. Kuvira's army killed most of the sandbender's from the Si Wong Desert in order to cleanse them from the Earth Kingdom, and Fahim was the only one to survive from his tribe. Fahim hopes to revive his tribes culture once he is freed from the camps.

The General Hospital was a calm and tranquil place of healing. In front of the hospital itself stood a great statue of Katara. Her arms were held out, hands forming a cup that water bubbled out of before falling to the base of the statue. The statue itself had a gentle and serene expression that promoted healing and tranquility. 

Bolin just stared at the statue a conflicted expression on his face. He didn’t want to go in there, bad things happened in hospitals. But Kazuki was in there and Bolin had to check on the kid. 

But he really hated hospitals.

He startled a little as a hand came to rest on his shoulder in the blind side. He recognized the heat coming from the hand. Firebenders always burned a little hotter and it was a comfort that Bolin was used to. No matter how cold he was, Mako was always warm.

“Hey bro, you doing okay?” Mako asked softly. 

The girls were waiting by the front entrance to give the boys some privacy. Bolin appreciated it a lot.

“Yeah, it’s fine Mako, nothing to worry about,” Bolin said quickly, “Just...please don’t let them try to touch my eyes?”

Mako gave him a reassuring smile, “I’ll keep a watch out. Don’t worry, just focus on your friend.”

Bolin nodded before leading the way into the hospital. It went a lot better than he expected. Honestly Bolin had expected to break down into a mess as soon as he walked into the sterile hallways but it…

It really wasn’t so bad. 

Sure, the walls were white and the doctors and nurses made Bolin want to run. But he could handle it, he knew he could. Kazuki was in there somewhere and Bolin knew the kid needed him. Probably right this instant. 

Bolin approached the front desk, flanked by his friends and didn’t that feel great. He had support, nothing could touch him now. Now when Mako was there to protect him.

“Excuse me miss,” Bolin asked the receptionist, a pretty looking but harried woman, “I was wondering if you could tell me where my friend’s room is?”

The receptionist took one look at Korra before offering up a dazzling smile. “Of course dear,” she said voice sugary sweet. Man, Bolin had to admit he liked the hero worship Korra got now. “Please tell me his name?”

“Kazuki.”

Her smile became strained, “I’m going to need more than just the first name. His family name would be great.”

Bolin lost his smile. “He doesn’t have one.” None of them did. Kuvira had taken it from them, now they had to create new names for themselves. “Look, he came in with the refugees from the Earth Empire. He’s ten, a firebender…”

That made the smile disappear from her face. “Oh,” the judgement dripping from her voice was one of the funniest things Bolin had ever heard. “You’re here for that one.”

Bolin let out a sigh at the expression, well aware of the trouble the kid could cause. “What’s he done now?” Bolin asked weakly. 

The glare she sent him was ferocious. “He’s terrorized the nursing staff, made three doctors cry, and constantly lights things on fire. Not to mention when he bit one of the orderlies…”

That...certainly sounded like Kazuki. The kid was tough to say the least, he had to be to lie to the soldiers to be considered an adult and get away from it. Not to mention Kazuki had been forced to watch as Bolin suffered for far too long in the camps. Even worse, he'd seen what happened to Fahim. 

“Look miss, if he doesn’t need to stay in the hospital for treatment, I can take him home,” Bolin offered. 

The receptionist raised an eyebrow at him, “I can only release the boy to his legal guardians…”

“That's great because I am his legal guardian,” Bolin cut in quickly. He could hear Asami’s gasp of shock and Korra’s low whistle. Not to mention the judging silence from Mako that meant he was in all sorts of trouble. 

The receptionist sent him a look of relief, “He’s in room 231. Once you get him, head back here and fill out the release papers. Then the little monster is all yours.” 

Luckily they waited until they were in the elevator to start question Bolin about his new acquisition. 

“So,” Mako demanded the full force of disapproving big brother voice out, “When did you plan on telling us you acquired a child.” 

Bolin smiled sheepishly, “When the paperwork officially went through in two days?”

Asami was the first to break the shocked silence that had fallen over the group. “Bolin, did you just lie to that receptionist about official forms?” she demanded.

Bolin just shrugged and leaned smugly against the elevator wall, “You say that like its a bad thing.”

Korra snorted, “I’m pretty sure it is a bad thing.”

“And I’m pretty sure it saves the hospital from the wrath of a temperamental firebender,” Bolin said cheerfully leading them down the hallway looking for the room, “So I figure taking him with me will save them a lot of trouble.”

Mako looked disappointed again. “So you plan on bringing this dangerous kid with you?” Mako demanded, “Did you even clear this with anyone? Does Tenzin know you’re bringing this kid back with you?”

Bolin shrugged, “I figured I could always hide him in my room. Besides, Kazuki’s only this bad in hospitals. He’s great the rest of the time. Usually.” 

“What do you mean by usually?” Asami demanded.

Bolin didn’t have time to answer her, he’d managed to find the room Kazuki was in. With a happy grin Bolin pushed open the door and practically bounced into the room his friends trailing behind him.

Kazuki was curled up in the bed, a scowl clear on his young face as he sat there arms crossed glaring at the nervous nurse who was attempting to approach. Judging from the burn marks on the nurses scrubs Kazuki was not pleased to be there. 

Bolin smiled delightedly at the boy aware of the others crowding around to get a look at the child. Kazuki turned furious eyes towards the open door, mouth hanging open in shock as he noticed Bolin. It was such a comical expression that Bolin couldn’t help laughing at him. 

“B...Bolin!” Kazuki gasped out a delighted grin breaking across his young face. “You came back for me!”

“Of course I did!” Bolin rushed forward pulling Kazuki in for a hug, “I heard rumors of a little monster terrorizing the hospital and knew it was you.” 

Kazuki had the decency to blush at that. “I was acting like a terror, wasn’t I?” he muttered softly.

Bolin just waved it away, “It’s fine, you remember when I first woke up on the ship right? You did better than me. Hey, there are some people I want to introduce you to.”

Kazuki immediatly shut down at the sight of three strangers standing in the room. Mako recognized the feral look in Kazuki’s eyes along with the way the child clung to Bolin’s sleeve. This kid had been hurt and hurt badly. No doubt Kazuki was extremely possessive of Bolin and would lash out if he thought it necessary. Mako only knew it all too well, he'd acted the same about his little brother in the streets to keep Bolin safe. 

“Guys, this is Kazuki,” Bolin gave a quick introduction, “Kazuki, these are my friends Korra and Asami. And my brother Mako.”

“Hi there!” Asami moved forward offering the kid a sweet smile as she settled next to him on the bed, “It’s nice to meet you, Bolin’s told me all about you.”

It was obvious the kid was skeptical about that but he didn’t call her out on the lie. Just a warning look from Bolin had him settling down. Mako had to admit, he was impressed at how well his brother could handle a kid.

“It’s nice to meet you too, miss,” Kazuki mumbled staring at the sheets of the bed, “And you guys also, I’ve heard stories about you all.”

“Hopefully they’ve all been good,” Korra teased Bolin gently.

Kazuki seemed unsure of how to take the attention clinging to Bolin. His eyes got especially wide when Mako walked over to join them blocking off his path to the door. He was trapped here, all these big people were going to keep him locked away. They’d promised he could leave the hospital but these people weren’t letting him and Kazuki needed them to move away…

A powerful hand wrapping around his shoulder broke Kazuki from his panic. Bolin was here, Bolin would keep him safe. No one could hurt him now. Kazuki returned to the present conversation slowly safely tucked into Bolin’s side. It was nice not to be the center of the adults attention for once. 

However Kazuki did notice a certain someone wasn’t there with them. Tugging gently as Bolin’s sleeve, Kazuki commanded the attention of everyone in the room.

“Where’s the General?” Kazuki demanded a pout crossing his little face, “He promised to visit me here when the doctors took me away!”

“He’s setting up a meeting for the refugees tomorrow,” Bolin assured him gently. The lavabender was aware of the others watching him at the mention of Iroh. Bolin just knew he’d be interrogated about the new friendship he had with the general soon. 

“What do you need a meeting for?” Kazuki asked.

Mako frowned, “I don’t think a kid needs to worry about that…”

“We’re figuring out what to do now,” Bolin told Kazuki cutting Mako off. “Housing and food is the biggest concern. Not to mention reuniting everyone with their families."

It wasn't a topic a child should have to be aware of. Bolin didn't have to look to know Mako was disapproving of his actions. The older brother had always been overprotective when it came to child appropriate information. It was the reason why Bolin had been kept firmly in the dark about the Triads for years before Bolin had hit him. 

Asami of course always agreed with Mako about raising Bolin and therefore children. It had started when the two dated. One of the first ground rules in the relationship had been the boundaries of their relationship with Bolin. Sure, Asami could look after Bolin but Mako had final say in all aspects of raising the young earthbender. 

Korra had only dealt with Tenzin's kids who were not too be trusted with anything important. 

Bolin knew Kazuki was different, the child had already been forced to grow up trapped in the camps. He was older than most adults Bolin knew and had grown up having to make tough choices just to survive most days. Bolin had watched some of those decisions play out and watched Kazuki grow up from a child to the serious eyed boy in that bed. 

Kazuki deserved to know what was happening.

And sure enough, the determination was shining clear in his young eyes as he glared up at Bolin. "I want to be there," he demanded. 

Bolin could only say one thing in the face of that determination. "Of course." 

~*~

Bolin woke up feeling like every bone in his body had been turned to rubber. Everything hurt, from his eyelids to his fingernails. Even worse he was lying in a small wooden cage he could barely squeeze into, cut off from the earth under him. 

"You're awake." Bolin turned as a sweet voice echoed through the room. He turned to see a metal cage sitting across from him, barely large enough for a child to sit in comfortably. Inside was a beautiful young woman was hunched over in the cage. Her long black hair was braided with flowers that hung over her gorgeous blue eyes and over her robes. She was obviously Water Nation although he was unsure about why she was here. 

"I was worried when they brought you in," she told him gently, "You were in pretty bad shape...I didn't think you'd make it." 

Bolin offered her a weak smile. "Looks like I'm doing pretty well then," Bolin smiled at her, "My name's Bolin. What's yours?"

The girl looked stunned by his question. "You...you want to know my name?" She whispered delight coloring her voice, "No one asks me my name anymore..."

A stunning smile broke across her face, "My name is Sunki." 

"Can you tell me where we are?"

"The holding bay for Doctor Hojo. He's the one who runs the place, and tomorrow...tomorrow he's going to start the next experiment on us," Sunki whispered. She held up her left wrist and showed the Water Nation mark on her forearm, under it was a number. 

Twenty was tattooed into her arm. 

"He's given you a number also," Sunki whispered and sure enough when Bolin looked down it was there. The number twenty four started back up at him and a feeling of dread began to grow inside of him. "Learn the number," Sunki whispered, "You don't have a name anymore, just that number." 

The rest of the night passed in an uncomfortable haze but sure enough the morning came. They were pulled from the cages by the guards and forced to strip down completely. The humiliation from having to stand there naked brought a furious flush to his cheeks. The nurses didn't seem to care, they just checked his height and weight before moving on.

"This way." The two prisoners were forced to follow them into the medical room. The only word Bolin could think of was sterile, the grey walls were polished to a shine as were the metal exam tables on either side of the room. Trays of medical equipment were also set up there. 

The nurse pointed at the tables, "Twenty, take a seat on the left. Twenty four to the right. Doctor Hojo will see you now." 

Now, Bolin had grown up on the streets. He'd never truly been inside of a hospital because they'd never been able to afford it. Even when probending Bolin had only been treated by the medics, never doctors. Not to mention Kya and Korra.

This was Bolin's first experience with a doctor. And it would stay with him for the rest of his life. 

Hojo was not what Bolin had been expecting from a doctor. He'd pictured an older man, graying, with glasses to enter. Instead in walked a handsome man around Varrick's age with a smile on his face and a tilt to his uniform cap. His cheer seemed out of place as he flounced into the room followed by a silent Fatma who was trembling. 

"Well, here is our new experiment!" Hojo announced cheerfully practically bouncing over to Bolin, "I have never encountered a lavabender before today, this will certainly be fun! You girl!" He snapped at Fatma making her jump before she scurried over to his side, "Nationality?"

"E...earth and fire doctor," Fatma whispered. 

"Ah, yes. That would explain it. Lava is earth and fire. Although, why are you the only mixed breed to have this ability? No matter. I'll figure it out." He snapped and Fatma passed him a needle filled with a strange viscous fluid. 

Hojo sounded perfectly rational as he spoke. His tone was the same as if he was talking about the weather and it was terrifying. Bolin could never imagine anyone just speaking this calmly about experimenting on people like Hojo was doing right then. 

"First experiment of the day, I will be injecting a virus into these two experiments. It has already been seen that bending had an impact on the immune system and these two are perfect for the test. There are no recorded records for lavabending in immune systems so this will be quite fascinating. Not to mention experiment twenty is a very powerful waterbender."

The doctor turned to two of the guards standing on either side of the, room. "Restrain them." Bolin wanted to struggle, to get free and run as far away from this as possible but he didn't. He refused to because he watched Sunki, beautiful brave Sunki, simple accept her fate and lay back on the table. If she could be brave, then so could he. 

Hojo didn't seem to care either way as the two were strapped down. He waited until they were immobilized before slowly injecting the first needle into the crook of Bolin's elbow. It was only a slight sting, just there for a brief moment then gone. In that time Sunki was injected with a different syringe and the two were let go. 

The doctor turned to the assistant who had been taking notes the entire time, "Tell the commandant I want these two placed in the same barrack. Actually, combine the women and men's barrack that is closest to here so they can be properly looked after. Girl, you live in that barrack?"

"Yes doctor," Fatma whispered.

"Good, very good," Hojo turned and left the room, "Keep a watch on them and record all symptoms." And with that they were allowed to leave. Fatma led the back towards their barrack her face pale and worn in the night air. They were all silent as they walked through the wired off areas staying close together under the dark watches of the armed guards. 

They traded looks as they approached their barracks. It was still brightly lit even though curfew had been called an hour earlier, and the closer they got the reason became obvious. Bolin and Fatma traded exasperated looks as they heard the sounds of one of Akita's rants echoing through the open window, but both noticed how Sunki looked nervous at that noise. 

"Don't worry," Bolin told her gently, "That's just Akita. She's actually really nice." 

And all Bolin could do was hope they were on their best behavior so they didn't scare Sunki too badly. Opening open the door they were greeted with what would be a strange sight to most people, but to Bolin was normal. Akita stood centered in the middle of the room yelling at the tops of her lungs, while everyone else ignored her. Baraz and Ahnah were wrapped up in each other, Hiroshi was asleep, and Fahim was speaking quietly to someone new...someone Bolin could have sworn he knew...

Kazuki looked up, a delighted expression crossing his young face. "Bolin!" He cheered before rushing across the room to wrap the earthbender in a hug. Bolin smiled happily before holding the child close. Kazuki buried his face in Bolin's shirt. "I thought you were never coming back," Kazuki whispered.

"It'll take a lot more to get rid of me," Bolin whispered before leading Kazuki further into the barracks. "Guys, this pretty lady is Sunki. She's going to be staying with us."

Ahnah sent the new waterbender a gentle smile. "Come here sweetheart, you can bunk near me," Ahnah said brightly as Sunki shyly settled down on the wooden bunk, "Were you transferred here?"

"From Camp 14," Sunki affirmed shyly.

Baraz sent her a wry smile, "Welcome to camp 7."

Bolin threw himself into his bunk dragging a giggling Kazuki with him. "Have you been enjoying the crazy firebender rant?" 

Kazuki giggled happily snuggling in close. “She’s funny.”

“That she is.” But she shouldn’t be. Akita was simply loudly protesting the unfairness of the guards forcing them into one building with any input. Her complaint should have been serious, something that would be corrected soon. But here it was almost comical that Akita believed the guards actually cared enough for them to fix it.

It was so tragic Bolin had to laugh to keep from crying. 

The night passed easily once they managed to get Akita relaxed, and the wild firebender settle down next to a nervous Sunki. By some miracle, Akita managed to drag Sunki into a pleasant conversation that included the others. They had a good evening joking and laughing before they all fell asleep. They didn't get many of those.

Bolin settled down early falling asleep to the comforting whispers of his friends. “We’ll need to watch over them,” Fatma whispers echoed in Bolin’s skull as he fell into darkness. “The doctor made them very sick…”

“...what did he do?”

“Sickness...tuberculosis...not the problem...plague…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it. And remember, if you want me to expand on anything just let me know and I'll write a oneshot or two for the topic.


	6. I Touch the Fire and it Freezes Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. It took me a while but I am updating. I want to warn you future updates will by spotty, at any time I may need knee surgery and I don't know how long that will be or how long I would be out. Hopefully I won't.
> 
> Good news for me, I survived being hit by a car. I am so happy right now. The police said if the guy had been speeding I would be dead. In other news, I mentioned that to my mother and she is panicking. Yeah...
> 
> Sunki-23 year old from Omashu. She is a ridiculously powerful bender, like on level with Katara for reference. She was a great beauty, my personal head cannon is Zoe Saldona for both looks and voice. That is part of Sunki's tragedy as a character. She represents all of the beauty that Kuvira and Hojo have destroyed.

Bolin rose early to get to the ship nudging Kazuki up with him. The child grumbled but let Bolin get him up and dressed before they headed out. Part of it was that Bolin wanted to get there early to check up on everyone. The other more selfish reason was Opal was back and he wanted to avoid her for the time being until he sure he wouldn’t say something he’d regret.

They reached the port where the ships were docked without any problems before quickly heading to Iroh’s ship. The Aurora was just as much a home now as Republic City itself, just walking back into the protective hull of the ship brought a smile to Bolin’s face. Kazuki actually relaxed once in the ship. They followed the familiar hallways into the depths of the ship heading towards the command center that Iroh had been kind enough to offer to the refugees.

Opening the door to the room Bolin led Kazuki inside. Both paused for a brief second as the sight of another person, a leftover from living each day in fear, but they relaxed when they recognized the person. 

“Iroh!” Kazuki cheered running forward to throw his arms around the general’s waist. Iroh for his part just smiled and hugged the small child. “You didn’t come see me at the hospital,” Kazuki complained.

“My apologies, I was busy preparing for the meeting this morning,” Iroh’s answer was perfect, Bolin watched as any remaining sadness in Kazuki disappeared with that phrase. The general was so good with Kazuki, Bolin could kiss him. 

But he couldn’t, not while he was still officially with Opal. 

Bolin walked further into the room, “General Iroh sir, pleasure to see you again.”

Iroh rose sending Bolin an exasperated look. “Bolin, how many times have I told you to call me Iroh?” he tugged Bolin in for a quick hug before the two stepped back, “I hope this night was better than the last?”

“Having Kazuki near helped more than I could say,” Bolin murmured his good eye shining under Iroh’s attention. Flushing Bolin pulled up all of his courage and continued, “I wanted you to know, no matter what happens today I plan on breaking up with Opal.”

Iroh’s eyes flashed briefly with relief, his shoulders slumping as if a great weight was taken from those strong shoulders for that moment before Iroh regained control of himself. “Are you sure you want to?” Iroh asked softly, he wanted Bolin to be sure of the course of actions.

“Yeah, I am,” Bolin murmured, “I’m terrified of the thought of telling her about what happened and I can’t do it anymore. I can’t live my life in fear it nearly destroyed me.” No matter how much he still cared for Opal, he could not stay with her as long as he was afraid of Opal. 

Iroh reached out, gently cupping Bolin’s cheek. “I understand,” he whispered before pulling back, “I need to take my leave now. It’s been decided that the refugees should decide what to do without any outside help.”

“Of course, I’ll see you soon Iroh,” Bolin murmured. Iroh gave Kazuki one more hug before opening the door to leave the room. He came face to face with a surprised Akita who he greeted before leaving. The female firebender started after Iroh with a confused expression before understanding dawned on her face. 

Akita just fixed Bolin with a judging look. “Don’t say a word,” Bolin warned taking a seat at the command table next to Kazuki. 

Akita held up her mangled hands in surrender before settling into her seat. But her smug smirk said more than words ever could. 

The others entered the room before the two could argue again. Baraz and Ahnah walked in hand in hand followed by a smiling Hiroshi. Sunki entered next a cloak hiding her missing arm as she sunk into her seat with a weak smile. The two non-benders, Denji and Im Song, walked in taking their seats as well.

The last of the group to enter was Varrick. The usually chattering genius was silent for once, shadows clear on his unshaven face as he slumped into his chair. He was wearing a lab coat stained with blood, and it said something about how used to violence they were that no one really noticed.

They were tired. They were beaten, mangled, and suffered from the memories of torture. They were all too thin from starvation, not to mention suffered from various illnesses. Dressed in borrowed clothing, they did not look like a force to be reckoned with. But there was a light that shone in each of their eyes, survivors eyes, and a heavy weight hung in the air. It had been along time since Bolin had felt this, so it took him a while to recognize it.

It was hope. For the first time in years, they had hope.

Baraz was the first one to speak. “Well, now what?”

It was a good question, one Bolin had been pondering for a while. He didn’t notice that everyone else was looking at him too buried in his thoughts. “We need representatives,” Bolin said slowly, “People to speak on the behalf of the refugees.”

“Why not just one person?” Im Song asked.

“Because we’re not one people,” Akita explained a thoughtful expression on her face, “We come from all nations, all walks of life. One person can’t represent us all.”

Hiroshi quickly jumped in. “But a council would,” the earthbender explained, “A representative for each nation. Fire, earth, and water.”

“Plus non-bender,” Denji added. 

It was a perfect idea. But Bolin felt like something was wrong with the idea and judging from Sunki’s face she felt the same. Then it hit Bolin.

“What about the experiments?” Bolin asked leaning forward, “We’ve already seen they have different needs, shouldn’t they get a voice?”

“Not to mention we don’t know how many there are in the other camps,” Ahnah pointed out.

“So they get a voice as well,” Baraz said decisively and that was that. They had a council in the works.

“There’s a serious problem there,” Varrick cut in, “The council would have five representatives. It would be too easy for them to fight amongst themselves and the other nations leaders to turn us against each other.” Taking a deep breath Varrick steeled himself and continued, “I know no one wants me to say it, but we need to elect a leader who can represent us as needed.” 

And just as Varrick expected all hell broke loose. Everyone was on their feet yelling at each other, even little Kazuki joined in. Varrick was yelling back defending his point and it looked like he and Baraz would actually start fighting in the middle of the room. Bolin and Akita were the only ones who remained sitting. 

Bolin leaned forward signing to Akita. ‘What do you think of Varrick’s idea?’

‘It’s a good idea,’ she signed back, ‘Not to mention we’ll need a leader to argue for us. Not to mention someone who can get things done when the other are busy fighting. Restrict their power and it should work.’

That was all Bolin needed to hear. He calmly settled back in his chair waiting for everyone to settle down. It took them a while, but sure enough they all returned to their seats glaring at each other.

Bolin spoke softly to gain their attention. They needed to listen. “I agree with Varrick...and if you start yelling again I will hit you. We need a leader. Someone who we can send to stand for all of the refugees and who will argue for them. We won’t survive if we look like a mob so here’s what we do.”

Bolin leaned back in his seat aware of everyone’s eyes on him. “The leader cannot make any decisions without the approval of the council, they need at least four votes for anything. They cannot change council decisions or influence them, they are a tiebreaker when no answer can be reached. And we all know a tie in voting is possible if someone decided not to take a side. Not to mention they’ll handle all of the politics of the other world players and make sure any and all paperwork is sent to the right representative." 

Akita took over the discussion knowing they would all agree with what Bolin had said. "Why don't we vote now?" She asked, "We'll all shut our eyes, and Kazuki will say everyone's name. Raise your hand once and the kid will count it." 

Denji frowned, "How do you know the kid won't screw it up?"

Baraz snorted, "Because even though he's ten, he's a lot smarter than you."

"Ok, time to start the vote!" Bolin announced before they could all kill each other. He waited until he was sure everyone closed their eyes before following suit. Bolin had thought long and hard about who should be in charge.

Varrick was a no, the man was a too well known to help. He didn't know Denji or Im Song enough to trust them with this. Hiroshi didn't want that much power, neither did Baraz or Ahnah. Not to mention Bolin was convinced Sunki would crumble the moment someone got in her face. That left Akita and she was the best. She was the only one of them with a political background and would never bow to anyone, that had been the whole reason she'd been put in the camp.

Bolin raised his hand for that reason when Akita's name was called and then settled back in his chair. He had no doubt she'd be chosen as their leader. Once the last name was called Bolin opened his eyes to meet the worried eyes of the rest of the group. 

They were all worried about who would be their leader, who would represent them in the eyes of the world. Kazuki just looked delighted, "So, Akita received one vote."

That...was surprising. Bolin had expected her to have the majority of the votes. 

"And receiving eight votes from everyone else is...Bolin."

No. No way. That was not possible. Bolin just stared at them mouth hanging open in shock in the face of their delighted smiles. "Glad that's taken care of," Akita murmured.

"Wait, no, not taken care of," Bolin protested, "I am the least qualified to do this. I've never received a formal education, I can barely read, and I worked for Kuvira. That should immediately disqualify me."

Baraz grinned, "Sounds good to me, means you're familiar with Kuvira's next course of action."

"Not to mention you're no longer her soldier," Ahnah said calmly, "You're one of us." 

Nothing was more true. They had walked out of the camp as different people. It was apparent now after spending time back home that Bolin didn't belong there anymore, he was expecting things that would never happen. No one understood his fear of Kya, or how Bolin was expecting something bad to happen at any minute. 

No one else was expecting death to be around every corner except for him and the other refugees. 

That was when Bolin came to his decision. His own feelings were unimportant in the long run. He had to do what was best for them, for his new family who had survived blood and death and emerged stronger. They deserved more from him.

Leaning back in his chair Bolin smiled gently. "I would be honored," he said calmly, "But I still don't know how to work politics."

"That's where I come in," Akita raised her hand, "I'd like to volunteer to my services to Bolin as his assistant. I know the politics game better than anyone else in the world."

A wide grin split across Varrick's face, "Congratulations kid! You have your own Zhu Li!"

Bolin's scandalized "Varrick!" was nearly drowned out by Akita's loud, "Oh spirits no!" It was the start of a beautiful partnership between the two. 

"Alright, let's figure out who are representatives are," Bolin announced. 

It was quick work from there on in. First it was unanimously decided that Sunki be in charge of the experiments which left Ahnah as the waterbender representative. Baraz was decided for fire seeing how Akita would be working for Bolin specifically. Hiroshi ended up as earth, and then it got interesting. 

"No, I am putting my foot down," Varrick said when they asked him to represent the non-bender, "I'm needed elsewhere, specifically with helping the people Hojo infected. They need my full attention if they're going to make it."

"Alright, so who should represent them?" Bolin asked because he trusted Varrick to make the right decision here. The man been selfish before but time in the camp had changed him. It had changed them all. 

"Im Song," was the immediate reply, "He's better at the people aspect, that's what we're going to need going into this. Besides Denji has a bigger role."

Denji frowned, "And what would that be?" 

"You used to be an administrator, right?" Denji nodded and that was all Varrick needed to continue, "How many of us have no one left? How many people watched all of their families die?"

A heavy silence filled the air as everyone stared down at the table. 

"We need lists," Varrick said softly, "Of those who are alive and those who are dead..."

"So we can give those left behind closure," Bolin finished for him, "And reunite families. Denji, would you be fine with this?"

"Of course," Denii said calmly. In that moment it was all set, they were ready to take on the world. Kuvira could come after them and they would face her head on. Together. 

"Alright," Bolin leaned forward voice serious, "Let's get down to business people. We're refugees, only a third of the people we brought in have family here. So that leaves us with a bunch of homeless people with no jobs and nothing to offer. So tell let's figure this out.

Where do we go now?" 

~*~

It wasn't common knowledge but bending had an effect on the immune system. It was theorized by healers that it was the way to help and protect them, give them a better chance to live. Just like how firebenders burned hotter than normal, or waterbender as were cooler. It mattered in regards to how they dealt with sickness.

Sunki would be considered hypothermic if she wasn't a waterbender. Her core temperature had dropped several degrees below safe as she struggled with the disease. She lay there gasping for breath for breath on her bunk unable to breathe. The worst of it was when they were forced to watch her cough up blood.

"He injected her with tuberculosis," Fatma explained to the others while wiping the sweat from Sunki's forehead.

There hadn't been any work for them to do due to the snow so they were allowed to look after their two sick companions. 

Akita frowned at that from her seat under Bolin's bunk. "Are we going to get sick?" She wasn't concerned about getting sick herself, none of them were. Death wasn't scary at this point. 

No, Akita wanted to know if she had a chance of dying. Because then she would be free. 

Fatma destroyed that hope though. "The doctor designed it so they weren't contagious," she murmured, "Wouldn't do to have the guards getting sick would it?" 

They were all quiet at that curled together on the floor. Baraz was holding Ahnah close as they cuddled together. Hiroshi was letting a tired Kazuki sleep in his lap, they'd had to pull the heartbroken kid off of Bolin earlier that day. Fahim was stationed near the door watching over all of them. 

They all winced when an especially harsh cough left Bolin. He was the worst off of the pair, Sunki had gone into a coma and was slowly fighting off the disease in her. But Bolin was still suffering from his own disease. 

Baraz was the first to ask, "And what's Bolin been injected with?"

Fatma froze for a brief second. Everyone had noticed how she avoided treating Bolin's illness. "He's got plague," Fatma whispered, "The septicemic strain." That would explain the avoidance then. Everyone had strong reactions as soon as plague was mentioned. It was almost conditioned into their cultures to avoid anyone who even had the hint of the disease. 

Sure enough Bolin was lying in his bunk suffering from the illness. He was running a fever way too high to be safe while his body shook under the stress but no one made a move to help. Even though they knew he wasn't contagious they didn't want to touch him. 

"You're all a bunch of wimps," Akita declared before swinging herself onto the bunk to care for him. 

He looked like death warmed over as Akita fussed over him. His lymph nodes were obviously swollen not to mention the gunk seeping from his eyes. The few times she tried to force water down his throat she found the ulcers in his mouth. Honestly Akita wasn't sure how long he'd live with the plague ruining his body.

"How long do they have?" Hiroshi asked.

"If they live four days, then they'll be fine." Fatma whispered. 

Late that night when everyone was asleep Akita was dragged back into wakefulness when Bolin started thrashing in his sleep. She came to with a groan when he accidentally kicked her in the ribs, climbing on top of him to keep him down. The fever heat was rolling off him in waves as she kept him down. Even with the weakness al earthbenders had when sick she was still nearly thrown off.

"Bolin," Akita hissed, "Calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"Need...need to find her," he mumbled delirious as he thrashed under her, "I need to...to find the...find the girl...important..."

"What girl?" Akita whispered, "Come on Bo, keep talking to me. Is it your girl back home, is that who you need?"

"Rose...rose," he grumbled.

"Don't fall asleep Bo. Rule number one, if you fall asleep you die." Akita warned. 

"Ba Sing...Se rose," Bolin whispered to her, "Promised a lady...find her daughter...the rose of...Ba Sing Se..."

Akita froze, staring down at him with horrified eyes. Slowly she pulled herself back sliding onto the floor of the barracks. She whimpered softly curling into herself tears beginning to slide down her face. In a matter of minutes she was sobbing brokenly rocking back and forth on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the Ba Sing Se rose whispered to Bolin's sickness torn body in the dead of night, "Spirits Bolin, I'm so sorry..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please review. It makes me so happy and I really need that after the two weeks I've had. Plus it motivates me to write more. Hope to hoist more soon.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the only flashback that doesn't follow the progression of the stories timeline. Every other flashback will be following from the beginning of Bolin's time in the camps. Just a warning, it gets bad very quickly.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it.


End file.
